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A Multi-Disciplinary and Multi-Institutional Approach to Prepare Industrial Engineers to Respond to Future Energy Challenges

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Conference

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

San Antonio, Texas

Publication Date

June 10, 2012

Start Date

June 10, 2012

End Date

June 13, 2012

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Innovations in the IE Curriculum

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management, Systems Engineering, Engineering Economy, and Industrial Engineering

Page Count

10

Page Numbers

25.73.1 - 25.73.10

DOI

10.18260/1-2--20833

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/20833

Download Count

393

Paper Authors

biography

Heidi A. Taboada University of Texas, El Paso

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Heidi A. Taboada is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering at the University of Texas, El Paso. She holds M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in industrial and systems engineering from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Her research strengths involve the development of multiple objective optimization models and evolutionary game theory algorithms, design of new biologically inspired algorithms, engineering education research, and renewable energy systems optimization. Taboada has published more than 30 refereed manuscripts in technical journals, book chapters and conference proceedings. Her work has been published in IEEE Transactions on Reliability, Reliability Engineering and System Safety, IIE Transactions, and Quality Technology and Quantitative Management, among others. Taboada is currently serving as an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Performability Engineering, and as an Editorial Board member for the International Journal of Operations Research and Information Systems.

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Jose F. Espiritu University of Texas, El Paso

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Abstract

A Multi-Disciplinary and Multi-Institutional Approach to Prepare Industrial Engineers to Respond to Future Energy ChallengesAbstractThere is a world-wide necessity to increase energy efficiency, finding new alternative sources ofenergy and assessing the environmental impacts of new renewable energy technologies. Demandfor professionals with sustainable energy knowledge is increasing, as employers need graduateswho can better respond to energy challenges in all professional and business contexts. Thisdemand will also create green-collar jobs in the industrial sector and in new technology fields. Inlight of these crucial needs, three universities from Texas and one university from New Mexicounited efforts to create a regional network of researchers to advance knowledge in renewableenergy research and education. This paper introduces the BGREEN (BuildinG a Regional Energyand Educational Network) project and shows how industrial engineers at the differentparticipating institutions will benefit.BGREEN is a multi-disciplinary project which promotes collaboration among differentuniversities, colleges, departments and a federal agency, the United States Department ofAgriculture. This type on collaboration is fundamental since the scale and nature of energychallenges requires expertise from a wide variety of disciplines. It has been found that multi-disciplinary approaches to research and education are essential to understanding and resolvingcomplex environmental and social issues. Through BGREEN, students will experience that mostreal problems are not defined within a single domain but they cross disciplines.This paper highlights the education component of BGREEN and shows how industrialengineering departments can broaden and strengthen their research areas through the type ofmulti-disciplinary research performed under this project. The paper also shows how theBGREEN model can be easily replicated at other institutions.

Taboada, H. A., & Espiritu, J. F. (2012, June), A Multi-Disciplinary and Multi-Institutional Approach to Prepare Industrial Engineers to Respond to Future Energy Challenges Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--20833

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